Call of the wild at Mass Audubon

Mass Audubons Rutland Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, a Central Massachusetts preserve a 10-minute drive south of Petersham, is part
of a network of contiguous conservation land, including Brooks Woodland Preserve, a Trustees of Reservations property to the north. At the sanctuary, nature abounds: sugar and red maples, white ash, butterflies, dragonflies,
and a kind of orchid called nodding ladies tresses. Porcupine and moose roam here, too. Visitors can hike an easy trail past Connor
Pond, sometime stop for migrating ducks, and pick up the trail along Rutland Brook, a classic example of the babbling variety. Deeper into the property rise Porcupine Ledges, where old maples stand tall. On a mid-spring visit, the brook for which the property is named offered shallow, if chilly, pools for a 3-year-olds swim. No expensive stylish suit required, as the trail was empty. Perfect, the child decided, for skinny dipping.